Episode 4: Deliver information travel planners need at the right time in their journey

The shopping journey for travel isn’t as straightforward as the journey to buy a product from a big box site. It involves much more thought and research. As marketers, it’s our job to help travelers along that path as much as possible. To do so, we must understand the journey so that we may better deliver relevant information.

Contributors

Zach Stovall
Senior Creative Strategist, Flip.to

Greg Thurik
Strategic Marketer, Formerly Envisionit

Transcript

Zach Stovall: Greg, the digital platform in travel marketing is a difficult place to be hospitable, and not be transactional. In previous parts of this podcast, we've discussed ways that we can reach travelers with the information they want at the right time to help them have a better experience, and ultimately to plan a better trip. It’s that reaching them at the right time part that presents challenges.

In order to reach someone planning travel at the right time, you need to understand the customer journey. In another Shape.travel piece, I explored an HSMAI talk by Google's Andy Nguyen, where he showed that the journey isn't linear, it's circuitous. It involves a lot of research over time, many touch points, and even some doubling back on efforts.

It makes it really difficult for marketers to pinpoint where an anonymous traveler is in that journey at any given time. So, Greg, how can travel marketers reach those travelers at the right time in their customer journey with the correct information that makes the DMO or the property a better host, but also keeps the destination or property top of mind?

Greg Thurik: To kind of set the stage from some of our previous conversations we've been talking about entering into conversations with travelers. Having meaningful conversations with travelers. I've worked with enough destination marketing organizations, and marketers at hotels, who would sit here and shake their head and be like, “Yeah, you're absolutely right. But like, how? How do I do that?” Because, in today's day and age, it is very…we're not on the phone as much.

We're not getting to have an actual dialog back and forth where you're getting to ask questions and obtain information and tailor your response that's based off of that. So really what we're talking about here at this point, we're saying entering into meaningful conversation. It is how do you tailor the content that somebody is interested in for where they're at in that traveler journey? And think there's two ways that I see that are probably more digestible paths for people within these spaces, knowing what time constraints, resource constraints are.

When we talk a lot about first-party data and the importance and the value of that. First-party data is utilizing that, it is more than what we talked about being this blanketed one size fits all newsletter. I think there is tons of opportunity to focus into some email marketing strategy, and content development there that also allows you an opportunity to enter into a more personalized conversation and ask those questions of people. “Hey, what are you interested in?”

You know, “Are you dreaming of a trip? Are you planning your trip now?” You know, “When were you thinking of coming? We’d love to let you know, you know, how we can be the best host possible then.” You have to make an effort to utilize that first-party data. But it gives you a way to ask questions, and get information back that you can then tailor the content that you're sending back.

And that may seem extremely overwhelming. I'm sure there’s going to be some people out there like, “Yeah, what? I'm going to reach out to every single person I have in my database, and enter into a one-on-one conversation?”

Zach: Not exactly feasible.

Greg: No, but that's where you do have to come up with a strategy. And how are you framing the questions you're asking, so that you do have pre-built content blocks that can be leveraged. And then listen as well. Listen and hear. You know, other questions that may be being asked or you know, other content blocks that may be coming up that you may be missing to then tailor that content that you're producing, that content strategy. Content is extremely expensive.

Zach: And you would know that because you've produced a lot of content throughout your career.

Greg: Yes, it is extremely resource intensive. The volume of content that, you know, DMO’s are attempting to keep up with is overwhelming. We have to say this—if we talk about first-party data being your most valuable commodity that you have for a long-term success path, content is your site is going to become your second-most valuable commodity.

And that's where setting aside a percentage of budget, thinking long-term. Maybe pulling a little bit out of some of your paid media strategy, looking a little longer-term for content development. Today's day and age with search and AI—if you're not telling your own story, and putting that content out there, then the story that's going to get delivered back to users is going to be from somebody else.

So, you're going to have to make an effort to prioritize and own that. That ties back into some of what we previously talked about being authentic, but utilizing your first-party data is one.

Now, a second way which may seem more digestible that I have seen, I think has done very well is the new Visit Myrtle Beach website.

Greg: When you go to their site, you will see a tool. And right at the top is says “Planning a trip? We can help. Go.” And what it does is it asks you some very simple questions along the way. “Are you dreaming of a vacation? Are you planning your beach trip? Are you at the beach now? Are there other things that you may be interested in that aren't listed there?”

And it takes you through a step of a couple of questions about who's traveling, when are you visiting, where are you at in that traveler’s journey? And what that then does is generate content that is very specific from the site to those questions that you answered. That is one step of a way to begin to enter into a meaningful conversation.

Now, it's not a one-on-one conversation. But then there's other ways to ask if you want more information. Are you willing to submit your email address? It's not just a blanket newsletter box, but there's ways where you can ask questions, but also serve relevant content that is what people are looking for; is the shortest and quickest path to the information that they're looking for.

And in this anonymous world, you have no idea what any percentage of people who are hitting your destination marketing website really are looking for. So, entering into meaningful conversation is assisting them on the easiest and quickest path that you can get them to that information.

Zach: Exactly. When a traveler can't find the information that they need at that very moment, what's the first thing they're going to do? They're going to jump into Google. And then you have the potential to lose them forever. If you can have the content that they need on your site, and readily accessible, you're better able to control the message and shape their experience. But that requires you to create content that serves your travelers.

Greg: Yeah, and it's how do I know that, you know, without really expensive research studies and surveys and, you know… This is where you can guerrilla tactics put out a survey, ask some questions, leverage your communities that you're building and the advocates that you're building. But sometimes just a simple question survey, just to understand what people are looking for; what they're most interested in; when.

That’s what I love so much about Visit Myrtle Beach—from its simplicity standpoint—s people are just giving basic information, and it's a longer term play to get there. But think outside of the box shorter term, and use the simplest path. Throw something on Facebook.

Zach: Simplest path. And then like we were talking about earlier, once you start getting these little bits of information, and you understand where people are in that journey, then you're able to speak to them in a more personable way. And you're able to give them more quickly the content that they're looking for. And you're able to play that better host within that community.

Greg: Absolutely.

Zach: Talking to a traveler in a way that helps to understand their intent and time horizon for booking is the first step towards understanding how to best engage them. That ultimately leads to a better experience. Then when you mix in owned audiences and first party data, it really changes the game. That is a great way to gain profitability.

Many thanks to strategic marketer, Greg Thurik, for giving us so much to think on in this series. I'm Zach Stovall, and I hope you'll join us on the next episode of the Thought Starters Podcast.